I read my Bible every day. I miss a day about as seldom as a teenager goes a day without texting. Not often. I read my Bible because I am a Grace-Focused Optimist and it’s the Operating Manual for Grace-Focused Optimism. Living as a Grace-Focused Optimist is living with The Christian Attitude toward life. It’s […]
I had to. The only thing I can compare it to is holding your firstborn for the first time. It’s not as significant as that. But it is almost as moving. What comes close to cradling your own flesh and blood? Standing in a bookstore and seeing your literary firstborn on a shelf. That happened […]
“He is really well off.” Who comes to mind when you hear that? Bill Gates, the man who’s Fort Knox rich? Tom Cruise, the charismatic star who’s still as bankable as anyone in Hollywood and as recognizable as anyone in the world? Or maybe Paul Finebaum’s pal Laura Rutledge, the woman who’s making waves in […]
When evil goes public as it did in Las Vegas last week—brazenly, tragically, and fatally—many Christians feel they need to do for God something God doesn’t feel the need to do for Himself. They become His Perry Mason’s. They make Him their client and seek to defend Him in the court of human opinion. That court’s […]
It happens to just about every Christian. For some reason, prayer flies standby in most of our lives. Something happens and it gets bumped from the day’s flight. So, family stresses or business demands or spiritual laziness make you skip prayer one day. And before you know it you’re on a slippery slope. And five […]
Pessimism is to our spirit what kryptonite is to Superman. It weakens us as that green rock weakened the Man of Steel. Optimism about God—that grace-sired assurance that God is with us and for us—is to our spirit what momentum is to a football team, wind is to sails, and a tough-to-please dad’s “great job” […]
Michael Jordan was the “go-to” player for the Chicago Bulls. He was the one the Bulls went to when they needed a basket on offense or a stop of defense. Every Christian needs a Michael Jordan truth—a go-to sentence—to turn to at a moment’s notice. We need something that can energize, inspire, motivate, and strengthen […]
Motivational speakers tell us that we need to know how to be our own coach and give ourselves a pep talk when necessary. They advocate cultivating a crisp sentence we can speak to our hearts when we need a boost. A stimulant to get our psychological adrenaline flowing. Wind in which to spread our emotional […]
1 Kings 8:19: Nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name. I find this verse a vase of beautiful and fragrant flowers. The flowers are so beautiful and so fragrant that I want to share them with you by placing […]
In our previous post, we saw that Barnabas was the kind of Christian each of us should want to be. That’s because he was an encourager. Please understand something. This post is personal. It expresses what I want my life to be. One of my ambitions. Something I want more than a politician wants the […]
